Comes a Horseman  

By Marshall Fine

Richard Farnsworth received an Oscar nomination for this 1978 film, directed by the late Alan J. Pakula. He plays an aging ranch hand in the late 1940s, working for Jane Fonda. She's being pressured by her greedy neighbor, Jason Robards, to sell him her land--this after he has had her father murdered to expedite the sale. Robards wants the land because he knows it's full of oil, but he's not about to tell her that. Rather, he relentlessly strong-arms her and the rest of his neighbors, resorting to violence and killing when he doesn't get his way, knowing he's already bought the cooperation of the law. But Fonda, aided by returning World War II veteran and cowpuncher James Caan, stands up to Robards, setting off an almost biblically violent confrontation. Comes a Horseman was sumptuously photographed by Gordon Willis, who captures the true sweep of the wide open spaces, and strong acting overcomes what charitably could be described as a stately pace. As for Farnsworth, he brings a tastily understated quality to the role of the old cowpoke who knows he's signed on for his last roundup but has the grit to stick it out.

Academy Awards

Comes a Horseman received an Academy Awards nomination for Supporting Actor (Richard Farnsworth).

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